The Opposite Of Light
by I.Write.Love
Summary: Coming back to the island felt great for Sora, but something he never noticed is growing in his heart. Can he fix it before it ruins his life? And why does it feel like Riku's the only one that can? Riku/Anti!Sora later on. Rated M for safety.
1. Chapter 1

**Ahhh... A new story. New plot, new theme, and new readers to screw with ^^ **

**As you can tell (eer... will tell), this takes place after the events of Kingdom Hearts 2, so there WILL be mentions to heartless, there WILL be mentions and appearances of Keyblades and there WILL be some really weird POV's. Just a little warning, no?**

**But, on top of that, there will be some violence, some language (there's always language), some sexual themes (by sexual I mean, all you'll be reading if hot and heavy kissing and some hints toward bowchikawowwow) and some pretty depressing shit. If, by some reason you decided you don't want to read all that, leave. This first chapter is clean though, so there shouldn't be a problem.  
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**Let's get this party started!**

**Disclaimer: Nooope! I think I used all my original disclaimers for "Nothing More Than A Whisper" (which all of you should go check out, BTW), so... yeah. I don't own this:3**

* * *

**Chapter One:**

A strong gust of wind ruffled the palm leaves, carried the salty spray of the ocean further into land and the sand kicked up a little, falling back to it's rightful place. It was warm, calm, serene, everything he had missed, everything he had wanted for that year or two he was traveling. Now, finally after all the battles, running after his best friend and saving the only girl he's ever loved, everything was back to normal, or in Sora's case, as normal as normal gets around here.

He heard the laughter and screaming from the water as Selphie was splashed by Tidus again, her giggled erupting into her revenge as she pushed him down into the water, Wakka just standing by, shaking his head slightly. Kairi was on the beach, sitting at the water's edge smiling at the trio in the sea, then turned to look up to the walkway that connected to the tree. She beamed. "Sora! Come on!" she yelled up and Sora smiled back, cupping his mouth.

"In a minute!" he yelled back, then continued up to the landing they had always dubbed the "Tree House", and sighed to his silver haired friend leaning on the railing looking to opposite side of the sea. "Riku, why don't you come down and spend time with us? We missed you."

"I've got a lot on my mind." Was the answer he got. Nothing more, nothing less.

Sora leaned on the railing next to him, his spiky brunette hair being ruffled by the small breeze that blew through. His eyes flicked to Riku's face for a moment. "You wanna talk?"

Riku shook his head, viridian eyes still to the sea. "It's… It's hard to explain." Was all the second answer gave him.

Sora scowled. Riku had been like this since they got back, and it was always the same; Riku would outcast himself from the rest of them, say he had too much on his mind, then refuse to tell Sora if (and when) he asked. It was like a routine now, but one Sora would love to break the second he got the chance. If only Riku trusted him like he use to… What had he done?

About now, Sora would have walked away, but he just stayed there, staring out into the water with his "best friend", never saying a word. Nothing had happened during that last battle with Xemnas, right? What about when they were sitting on the beach at the End of The World? Riku said he valued Sora's friendship, but this was a horrible way of showing it. Sora just frowned more, then stood up straight. "Well, I'm gonna go down there with Kairi and them. If you want to… Just go down there, okay?"

"Mhm."

The brunette's face changed to sorrow and he held his chest a little as it hurt, then turned and walked away, back down the walkway and the ladder to join the auburn haired girl he loved on the beach. She turned with a beautiful smile and waved a little. "Sora. Where's Riku?"

Sora shrugged a little. "He's here, but his mind's somewhere else. He's just thinking to much, like he always does."

"Oh." Kairi simply said, her mouth forming the smallest 'O', then she rested her hand on Sora's, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I'm just happy we're back, you know?"

The brunette smiled. "I am too. I missed the islands." He lied. He didn't miss the islands; he had missed Riku.

* * *

The warm breeze, the salty, humid air and even the hot sand was the same, but it was all just so out of place in his mind. Everything settled back into the normalcy they all missed from before, so why didn't Riku feel like he was back where he belonged? He blamed it on all that time he spent in the darkness, but he knew the real answer; he was back with Sora.

It was a lie when he told Sora he didn't want the brunette to find him, because that was the one thing he was holding his breath over for two years. He had always missed his best friend, and everything he had said to him when he had been looking for Kairi's heart had been the best lies he had ever told. Riku looked for Sora, just as Sora had done, and missed him, just wanting to grab the brunette by the hood of his jacket and drag him back to the islands without any trouble.

He put his face in his hands, groaning in frustration. Everything so fucked up now! Two years had taken their toll on Sora, and now the boy was just a little taller than he was before, voice deeper and his fun loving personality was starting to fade away bit by bit… Or maybe that was because of…

Riku forced himself not to think about that, instead just looking into the sparkling water, not turning when he heard the creaking of footsteps on the stairs leading to his little haven. He expected it to be Sora again, asking him what the hell was really wrong and forcing it out of the viridian eyed boy, like Riku planned it to happen. But, was Riku really ready to tell Sora that horrible secret just yet?

"Riku, Sora said you seem kinda sad. Are you okay?" Selphie's still girlish voice greeted his ears instead of Sora's, and Riku turned a little to look into the golden blonde's green eyes, her hair pulled down into pigtails. He smiled a little to throw her off.

"Yeah. I'm fine, just thinking of something." He lied, hoping she would take it and leave, but he knew better than that. This was Selphie, after all.

Selphie crossed her arms over a dress that vaguely looked like the one she wore two years ago, then shook her head. "You're not fine. I can tell, Riku. Ever since you got back, you and Sora have been acting really weird, and you never come down from the Tree House." Her voice took on something you'd hear from a worried best friend or mother. "You and Sora use to be so close, almost inseparable, but now you two barely talk. What happened?"

"I… I'd really like to know the same thing." Riku chuckled slightly, then turned back to the sea. "I really don't know what happened, Selph. I just can't talk to him anymore."

The golden blonde girl answered to her old nickname with a huge smile, then stood by Riku at the railing. "Maybe you should start with a 'hi'. That always helps, you know." Her eyes met Riku's. "You two have changed physically and mentally in some ways, but you'll always be Riku and Sora on the inside. That will never change."

"Glad to see you've stayed the same." Riku smiled, ruffling the girl's hair.

She fixed the slight mess her friend had made, then smiled back. "You haven't much either."

The two stood there for a moment, just in silence, as Riku's brain comprehended Selphie's words; just talk to him? That didn't sound too hard. After all, Riku had trekked through the darkness, saved his best friend, close the door and killed the biggest asshole of the century in a period of a year. How hard could talking to your ever-changing best friend be?

Just as he was pondering that, Selphie spoke up again, but her voice missing the usual cheerfulness. "Riku, Sora's changed."

"What makes you think that?" Riku looked down at her, eyes questioning and worried.

"You know how he's always had the aura of light-heartedness and that childish demeanor?" her eyes caught the floor. "Being around him just feels different now, like there's something wrong."

His interest was peaked. "What do you mean by that, exactly?"

Selphie's eyes met the sea again. "Being around him feels like darkness, and sadness, but it seems like he doesn't even know. There's something terribly wrong with Sora, something so wrong he's oblivious to it."

Riku didn't know how to answer that, so he lowered his gaze to the ground. So Xehanort hadn't been lying.

* * *

Being back in his own bed felt great, Sora had realized a few days earlier. The Gummi Ship beds and couches were hard and uncomfortable, and they rarely got a chance to rent out a hotel or motel room to stay a night, so sleep (and comfortable sleep at that) had been rare for the brunette. Laying here on his bed felt so right and normal, that if he got up, everything would change again.

That day was just like all the others, sitting on the beach with Kairi as Tidus, Wakka and Selphie played in the water like the little kids they still were on the inside. Sora had wished he could still do something like that, but his heart just wasn't into everything he was into before. Suddenly playing in the water and running races around the island didn't feel like something normal anymore, and he had even noticed a sharp pain in his chest when he attempted to do that. He really should have told Kairi or Riku that when it happened the first time after they had come back, but it didn't seem like much to him, so he shook it off. It was probably because he was growing up and getting more mature, and that was normal, right?

Sora sighed, then remembered the days from so long ago when they would spend hours out there on the beach just playing and fighting and building, then those rare nights they spent the entire night out there, falling asleep under the stars. The sound of waves was heard echoing from far away, and it was something so strange, yet so normal to hear, and he closed his eyes.

"At least the waves sound the same…" escaped from his mouth before he knew it, and that beach at the End of the World popped into his head as well with Riku, and he opened his eyes again. Riku was right; at least they did. If everything else changed with them and the island and this world, at least those waves would keep crashing on the beach the same.

He heard a rustle of bushes and foliage, then looked out the window above his bed to see a familiar silver-haired boy trudging out to the small dock, presumably going to the island. Sora saw some sort of opportunity this to talk to Riku, and opened his window and jumped out in one fluid movement, following his best friend with stealth. Just as Sora had guessed, Riku untied his little boat from the dock and started rowing away, the islands in his sights. As Riku was well enough out of earshot, Sora followed the suit, and trailed after Riku slowly and quietly, getting up onto the dock at the islands and tying his boat up before he forgot.

His silver haired friend had gone to the beach, just sitting on the shore, listening and watching the waves, making Sora glare a little. It was nearly midnight; why wasn't Riku at home? Sora quietly walked up to Riku, but his friend turned, feeling the sudden present behind him. Viridian found blue and they just sat there, in silence for a second before it was broken by Riku's smooth voice. "What are you doing down here?" he asked, never once breaking the gaze between the two of them.

Sora was struck for a moment before he swallowed away the awkward lump in his throat and ignored the pain in his chest. "I-I followed you." His tone got slightly smart-assed, then said. "What about you? You realize it's midnight, right?"

Riku snorted, then turned to the water. "I do. I can't sleep."

"Oh, don't tell me; all that stuff that's on your mind?" Sora asked, glaring down at Riku.

His silver haired friend never once looked up. "Yeah."

Sora growled, then sat down next to him, the burning in my chest becoming more unbearable, but I had to bear with it. "I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong. I can be stubborn, too."

Riku gave a short snort in reply. "I don't get why you care."

Sora's chest hurt even more, but it wasn't because of the stabbing pain already. "I-I care because you're my best friend." He snapped, tears stinging the back of his eyes. Everything felt really fuzzy. "I can't believe you would say something like that."

As if Riku finally realized what he said, he turned and shook his head. "I didn't mean it like that, I promise." He apologized. "I'm sorry."

Sora frowned with a bit of a pout, tears running down his cheeks, trying to sort through why his mind was racing and spinning and everything felt so far away. "I-It's okay…" he said, and it trailed off a bit, then he held his head as the pounding pain of a headache took over.

"Sora, are you okay?" Riku asked, putting a hand on Sora's shoulder.

"Fin-" Sora's speech stopped, and his vision went really hazy as he fell over into the sand, Riku's face appearing over him.

"Sora! Sora!"

Everything went black.

* * *

Riku saw Sora fall over, and his eyes slip close. He had passed out, and Riku was sitting right there. The silver haired teen, shook him a little, then noticed how his hand rested on his chest and his face was screwed up in pain. His chest was hurting, maybe? Riku put the hand on the sand, then slipped his arms under the boy's knees and back, picking him up bridal style. Hopefully he could get up to Sora's window without being noticed, and without dropping Sora in the process.

He started walking, carrying Sora in his arms (which wasn't very hard, considering Sora weighed close to nothing at all) and into one of the boats they had taken here. Once getting Sora in comfortably and sitting down himself, Riku untied it from the dock and started rowing. In the silence that settled beside the distant sound of waves and the water under the oars, he heard a very familiar mumble.

"Riku…" Sora said in his coma-like state, sounding pained and relived, making Riku's cheeks turn red. The brunette looked tense, then relaxed a bit, making Riku do the same. Sora didn't seem comfortable at all, like his body was under a lot of pressure, and Riku couldn't help but to worry. Why was Sora like this?

Riku tied the boat to the dock connected to the main island, then picked up Sora the same he had earlier, and started walking. Sora didn't make any more sounds, or mumbled anything else the entire way back to his house, but still looked like he was in pain, and Riku sighed, convincing himself it was all his fault.

The window was about a foot taller than Riku, and he managed to get Sora on his back piggyback style and used one hand to keep him there while the other gripped the lattice as he climbed up. The good part about Sora's parents is that they build everything with amazing wood and building materials, so the lattice was able to hold Riku and Sora's weight all the way up to the window, which Sora had left open. Riku slipped Sora in first, carefully, then climbed in himself, falling face-first onto Sora's bed. He sat up, and looked around, smiling when he saw nothing had changed much. The silver-haired boy put Sora into the bed right, then pulled the covers over him, not bothering to put some pajamas on him or anything else.

Riku was about to go back out the window when another pained mumbled caught his ears, making him stop completely.

"Riku… I'm… sorry…."

The older teen looked down, shaking it off, then jumping down, breaking out into a run as soon as his feet hit the ground. His feet wouldn't stop until he got back into his room, but his mind kept going, running around every single little thing about Sora, him, the worlds, and everything he once knew so well. Then, his mind went back to those few words Sora managed to say in his unconscious state. '_"Riku… I'm… sorry…."_'

"No, Sora," Riku said, closing his eyes as he lay back in his bed. "I'm sorry."


	2. Chapter 2

**Guess whose bacccck, biznatches? That's right, I am! *dodges tomatoes and bricks* OKAY! I DESERVED THAT! JEEZUZ.**

**Anyway...**

**Sorry for the delay in the update. No one's lost hope, right? I got busy with school, went through a mild, two day depression (I hate my family. Ever mentioned that?), lost interest, got obsessed with Hetalia for like, a second, then came crawling back to this story, wanting to finish it. So, I finally wrapped up Chapter two with the worlds that make me want to strangle Kairi with a garden hose. I think that slut should go die in a hole. I'm getting violent... Hehe.**

**Anyway. REVIEW TIME!:D**

**Sakura Li-Chan: Ahh, one of the three has returned. Welcome back, my friend ^^. Onto reviewing your review; Riku's thinking something completely different. Silly fangirl, do not assume; look where that got Sora in Nothing More Than A Whisper! XD You read the cuddly SoraXKairi shit... I HAVE TO WRITE THAT. I want to throw up everytime her name hits the keyboard. She does not belong to Sora. End of story. Kthnxbai. Thank you for the review! And I can't wait till I see where this ends, too! XD (I don't even know yet! :P)**

**Nightmare Controller: Laughter, it's what I ship the best ^^ Kairi is channeling her inner Rai; annoying and repetitive XD BUUURN. No, no, Riku's secret isn't his love for Sora! It's something completely different. I promise. PROMISE PROMISE PROMISE! Xehanort from the first game, and chillax; I spoil the games for myself. Just don't tell me how the endings go, and I won't kill you with a spoon. And it's the douche bag Xehanort that called himself Ansem in the first game, just for a little clarity. Just imagine his retarded ass, and you're good. Also, HERE IS AN UPDATE A WEEK LATER, HOW IT SHOULD BE. Lul. Thanks for the review, by the way.**

** TwistedFate108: Confused? O_O How did I confuse? CRAP. But, the interesting parts I guess where good, no? Riku's got problems, and Anti!Sora will appear sooner than later, my friend. And uh what, I just clarified. Thank you for the review!:D Here's the update!:D**

**MisMic: Why thank you:) Hopefully, you'll be as common around here as the three above. I like reviews, y'know?:) Thank you for it, by the way. It makes me smile ^^  
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**Disclaimer: Unfortuantely, RikuSora isn't canon in the game. God, do they throw SoraKairi in there enough, though. I wish that we fangirls could have our own little Kingdom Hearts Dating Sim game... That would be magical... And lovely... And sexy *drools***

**HEY! REMEMBER THE RUM! *holds up wanted sign with Demyx's face on it* THIS BASTARD STOLE IT! IF YOU SEE HIM, GET MY RUM BACK. That is all.  
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* * *

**Chapter Two:**

Sora really didn't remember ever going to bed that night, but when he woke up he smelled like the sea and Riku's cologne, two things that should have never come in contact with him at all. Although Sora did remember seeing Riku walking toward the island around midnight, he couldn't remember if he followed him down there, or stayed in his bed. He was still in his clothes, and his stomach was empty as hell, something that when put together, could only mean some type of trouble, or that he was just being lazy. His head was pounding, and he was pretty sure he was running a fever, but he got up out of bed anyway. After all, Kairi was down at the beach.

By the time Sora was bathed, groomed, dressed and fed, his headache had gone away, and the cold shivers had passed. The brunette dismissed the entire ordeal for a simple summer fever, and tried to push the nagging to the back of his brain, where it rightfully belonged. Kairi was at the shore, wearing a pink summer dress in turn for her usual zipper/belt/loop/stud dress, smiling at Selphie at the other two boys. Riku wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Hey Kai" Sora greeted as he sat down next to Kairi, a toothy grin on his face. She looked over at him and returned the greeting, kissing him cheek.

"G'Morning Sora." She answered back, resting her hand into Sora's. "You're down here late. Sleep in?"

Sora nodded a little. "Yeah… Just a little. I stayed up pretty late last night." He lied to her, something he never did. And that smile… It felt so fake. Maybe he wasn't feeling so good after all. "Have you seen Riku?"

The look that crossed Kairi's face is one Sora had never seen before, but couldn't evaluate very well because it disappeared before he knew it, replaced by her sweet, sweet smile. "No, I haven't. I don't think he's coming down here today." She told him, squeezing his hand tighter, almost like if she didn't, Sora would just vanish. "We were texting last night and he told me he didn't feel so good."

Sora looked into the sand, just the sounds of Selphie's shrill laughter and the waves on the shore beating into his ears. "Oh." Was all he said, no doubt sounding as disappointed as he really felt. He was hoping Riku would be here, so maybe he would be able to talk to him, because maybe Riku knew what might have happened last night, considering it was his cologne he woke up smelling like. But, Riku was sick at home, so that was a long shot. "I'll talk to him later, then."

Kairi's cheery attitude bottomed, and she shrugged, suddenly colder, and let go of Sora's hand, almost like if she was trying to distance herself from him. "I doubt that'll happen, if he's as sick as he says he is."

Sora thought that his girlfriend was acting a little weird, but shook it off. This was Kairi, and she was a girl. Mood swings were normal, right? He just put his hand back in hers and kissed her gently on the neck. "Then, I'll just spend my time with you." It was almost like he forced that out of himself. Maybe something was wrong with him.

Her smile returned, and she kissed Sora gently on the lips. "Aw, I can't stay mad at you for even a minute." She told him, resting her head on his shoulder. "You're just too cute and loveable, Sora. I really do love you."

Sora attempted a realistic smile. "I love you, too." His heart wasn't behind it, and his mind defiantly wasn't. He couldn't even feel any sort of connection between him and Kairi while they held hands, and the only person on his mind right now was Riku and if he was okay or not. As the breeze left a spray of salty water over his cheeks and the shore's waves did the same, he just held Kairi's hand, let her head rest on his shoulder and her breathing shallow. In all of that time he spent traveling from world to world, nothing had felt so peaceful, but feel so wrong all at the same time.

* * *

He had a fever, and even though his mom said it was probably just summer fever, he didn't want to get out of his bed. Riku glared at his phone vibrating one his bedside table, lighting up and flashing to alert the owner of message, but he didn't feel like reaching over and answering back, considering it was either one of two people; Kairi, yelling at him even more, or Sora, asking where he was. Either option was a headache waiting to happen, a migraine he could easily avoid. Kairi just wanted to make him feel like shit (not that he didn't at the moment) and Sora was just worrying too much again (then again, when does Sora not worry?).

Riku rolled over away from the phone and shut his eyes in the dark room, thankful for those thick, black curtains he had invested in after they had come back. The first time Sora came over he glared at Riku a little as that mental telepathy they had going on sparked between them; Sora knew the silver haired boy only got them so it feel more like the dark he spent so much time in. Even after Sora told him to take them down and get a little sun since he was so pale, Riku kept them up because they made a damn good barricade between him and the sun in the morning.

The phone didn't stop vibrating, and he got irritated at hearing the buzz on the glass. He reached over, grabbed it off the table and answered it, putting it up to his ear. "Hello?" he asked, no doubt sounding tired, pissed and sick.

Sora's voice (and not Kairi's, like he was expecting) chirped up. "Riku? Oh god, you really are sick. Are you feeling okay?"

Riku smiled at Sora's little antics, then coughed a little, maybe to empasize his point. Or maybe he really had to cough. Riku didn't know. "Yeah. I've got a headache, and a fever, but I'll be okay. What about you?"

"I woke up this morning with a headache and a fever, too. But after I spent sometime with Kairi I felt all better!" he was using his fake cheerfulness, thinking he was fooling Riku. "Maybe you should come out to the island and spend time with us. Maybe some sunlight and a little exercise will make you feel better, you freakin' vampire."

Riku's heart sank a little from mentioning Kairi, and the conversation from the previous night popped into his head. He swatted them back. "No, I'll stay in bed, but I'll be down there tomorrow."

"You promise?" Sora's voice hinted the disappointment and worry, sorrow and that one big feeling he was covering up with the chirper voice and happy-go-lucky attitude, one that only managed to worm it's way back into his life after coming back to the islands. The question was a usual one Riku answered, and normally always lied, but this time, he didn't want to disappoint Sora, and sighed, before smiling.

"I promise, Sora." But he knew Sora wouldn't buy it completely, even if he forced himself to. Riku had betrayed his trust and lied to him way too much for Sora (even sweet, innocent, forgiving Sora) to come back to after a while. No wonder they drew so far apart.

Sora chuckled a little on the other side. "Also, what happened between you and Kairi to get her so pissed off at you? When I mentioned you she got all cold and distant, and when she started talking, she sounded really mad."

"It was… just a little disagreement." Riku lied, instantly feeling horrible for himself, and then feeling that dread because Kairi knew the truth behind everything Riku was hiding. "And she got mad. She'll be fine in a few days."

"Oh." Sora sounded convinced, making Riku thank whoever was up there for his friend's naiveté. "Well, I'll let you get back to sleeping. I want you to feel better soon, 'kay?"

Riku smiled, then nodded, even if Sora couldn't see. "Okay. Thank you, Sora."

"What for?"

"Just… being there, I guess." Riku hated getting like this. Damn him.

Sora made a sound on the other side. "Hnn… Thanks?" he cursed, making Riku blink. "Dammit, Kairi found me. I gotta go, otherwise she'll kill me. Bye Riku."

The phone clicked, and the steady beeping followed, making the silver haired teen close the phone and sigh deeply, ignoring the headache that now hammered into his brain. With one last look to his dark ceiling, he let his viridian eyes slip close into nothingness.

Or, at least he wished it were nothingness.

* * *

_Just a step was a resounding echo off the empty and vast area. The ceiling was dark, the floors were dark, the walls were dark, and it stretched on for miles and miles, to what looked like no ending to Riku. He furrowed his brow in frustration, not able to find King Mickey anywhere. He cursed a little, and then stopped, sitting down on the ground, thinking of his position._

_There was no way out, as far as he was aware; the air led on forever, and he had been walking in a straight line north (at least he though he was going north) for hours. It was an ambush of Shadows that separated King Mickey and himself, and now he was wondering where that little mouse went. Not to far, right? Where is there to go in this place, anyway? The Realm of Darkness didn't have much going for it._

_The silence was starting to kill him. He really wished he could have taken Sora along for this crazy ass ride, but he knew that only pure darkness could cross over the door's entryway, and Sora was just too light-hearted (literally) to come along. Not to mention, he realized with a small grin, there were too many Heartless for even strong, brave Sora to take. Riku was already starting to feel the affects of the constant fighting muscle and stamina wise, and no doubt Mickey was, too._

_He slipped his eyes closed, even though that didn't change a thing. He had been in the darkness for… two months? Three? And no sign of a way out or anything else. Eventually, though, there had to be an exit in this place, right? How else would the Heartless be able to get out so easily?_

_Riku's thoughts started running again, and he heard a voice echoing in his mind that he had heard so many times before. "_Well, well Riku. Finally about to come to terms with the darkness?_"_

_He growled, and as stupid as it sounded to himself, he was talking to a voice in his head now. "Shut up. I haven't given into the darkness. I thought we had established that."_

"Maybe so, but look at were you are. Doesn't look like you've made much progress since you closed that door with the Keyblade wielder_."_

"_Actually, I have, asshole." Riku cursed, ruffling his shorter silver hair. "I'm pretty sure I've got control now, no? I mean, I am talking to a voice in my head, anyway."_

_The voice laughed. "_Talking to a voice who has the power to talk over your body at any given time_." Riku's hand grabbed onto his blade without his knowing and held the blade to his throat. He made a small noise. "_You might think you're strong, Riku, but you're nothing in comparison to me, Ansem._"_

_Riku growled a little, then felt his arm fall back to it's original place. "Maybe so, but I'll get stronger. I'll fight you off so I never have to worry about hurting anyone ever again. I've done enough of that for the last few months."_

"The most recent being when you closed that door, am I right?_"_

"_No, what the hell are you talking about?" the silver haired teen snapped, glaring at nothing, but imagining the smirking, smug face of Ansem._

_Ansem laughed. "_You're telling me you didn't see Sora's poor, hurt face when the door finally closed? He was heartbroken you were leaving, but you left him anyway. How can you call yourself his best friend?_"_

_Riku didn't want to remember Sora's face when the door closed and Riku had to mutter some bullshit about taking care of Kairi, because it hurt him so much. He didn't want Sora to go back with Kairi; he wanted Sora to stay with him. But it was nearly impossible, and he had to play off his hurt with heroism, so he told him to watch after Kairi and keep her safe, when in reality he didn't give a shit if Kairi lived or died. "I did, so what?" Riku managed to finally say, looking at the ground sullenly. "I slammed a door in his face and told him to keep Kairi safe and left him for God knows what out there. I'm a terrible friend; I think I realized this on my own."_

"Then you know, as a terrible friend, what Sora's brought upon himself with releasing Kairi's heart._" Ansem asked, coolly, trying to back Riku into a corner, which Riku wasn't going to fall for._

"_What do you mean by that? Sora released Kairi's heart and then turned back to normal. He didn't bring anything upon himself, you asshole."_

"Oh, but he did._" Ansem would have been smiling by now. "_You do realize that blade releases hearts and the darkness within them, no?_"_

_Riku huffed. "Of course I do, what are you getting at?"_

"I'm saying that when Sora impaled himself with that blade of yours, he not only released the heart, but all that darkness that was there. He's much darker than you would have thought, Riku. That boy's not as angelic and innocent as you thought._"_

_Riku's heart nearly stopped, but his brain kept telling him to keep going. "W-What does that mean, anyway?"_

"It means, Riku," Ansem was chuckling, which sent shivers up and down the silver teen's body. "that sooner or later, Sora's body and heart are going to be taken over by that dormant darkness and he won't be anything like before._"_

_Riku swallowed down the sudden taste that rose to his mouth and shook his head. "Shut up. Like hell that's going to happen. No way am I ever listening to you again."_

"But you've seen it happen. When you impaled Maleficent? The same thing will happen to Sora."

_Riku made a face. "He'll turn into a giant dragon?"_

"No, you foolish child_." Ansem growled. "_The darkness will take over his body_."_

"_Then…" Riku blinked and clenched his fists. "I'll do everything I can to make sure it won't happen. I'll protect him this time."_

_Ansem didn't answer, and Riku laid back, staring at the endless black sky. '_Sora… I promise, I won't let that happen to you._'_

_

* * *

_

Kairi's face was set in a scowl as she leaning on the balcony of her room, looking at the stars in the sky, seeing Sora's face in them. All Sora could talk about today down in the islands was about how he hoped Riku was okay, and if anything bad had happened to Riku; it pissed her off. He didn't even know anything about Riku anymore, and that proved it! If Sora knew… 'Well,' she chuckled darkly. 'Sora wouldn't want to have anything to do with Riku ever again.'

Her scowl set into a wicked smile and her eyes narrowed with a plan. "Hmm… That's just crazy enough to work." She said to herself, her smile just giving away her thoughts. "I know how to make sure Sora never wants to talk to Riku again. No way that man whore's getting my boyfriend."


	3. Chapter 3

**D-Don't kill me? I just got really busy with school, I swear TT_TT. And, this chapter ticks me off because I wanted it long and amazing, yet... Yeah. No.**

**Well, I know I've been AFK (away from keyboard) for a while, so this little chicka is back!:D**

**REEEEEEEEVIEWS:**

**TwistedFate108: Oh dear, here ya go *garden hose*. I want her to die... Atleast, in the sense of RiSo, y'know? XD And she will, she will. Do not worry, dear friend, she will go away soon (hooopefully:D). BE AN ATTENTION WHORE. BE IT. Just... to an extent. XD And, I'm really failing at reviewing today. :P**

**Sakura Li-chan: She's been at the top of mine for a while ^^ And... O_O Um, hardcore? Damn. XD Riku needs to man up, but... it's the plot. You must be paaaaatient:3 Also, BURN HER.**

**Nightmare Controller: That's good:) And that sucks:) And I know you were :3 Kairi might be jealous for a reason you forgot. Depends; are you forgetful? IT IS RISO. JUST WAIT XDDD YAY FOR RISO ... Friendship? O_O And Kairi's jealous of Riku w She wants to be a sexy man beast as well. Now, now. I don't want Kairi to be hated; she's just not the one for Sora. It's just really easy to use her as the bad guy in these stories, y'know? UPDATED AS SOON AS I WILL XD**

**thelonelymushroom: First, nice name :D Second, why thank you. I don't like fluff that much, but you'll see it from time to time when I've got writer's block and I need something to write out. D'awww, why thanks you:) I'm just a bored teenage girl with a slight obsession to RiSo, and writing happens to be my hobby. See, if I was an amazing drawer, I would be drawing out fan manga, or fanart. But, fanfiction is just as good ^^ I hope you're as excited as me (I really have no idea where Imma take this, although I have some ideas:D). Thanks you for the review!**

**Disclaimer: Let's see... I'm not feeling original, but let's just say... Kingdom Hearts is lucky it's owned by Square Enix and rated E. If fangirls got ahold of it... ha... HAHAHAHA. That would be an M rating, my loves. **

**RUUUMMM D:  
**

* * *

**Chapter Three:**

Riku didn't show up the next day, or the day after that, leaving Sora disappointed in his friend once more. The silver haired teen wasn't heard from for nearly a week, and Sora's patience (and forgiveness) was starting to run thin. That bastard said he'd trying to spend more time with him, but where the hell was he? Kairi didn't seem bothered by it at all, but offered a little comfort to Sora, all that she could manage without being clingy. The brunette just let her do it, because he really couldn't care about much except Riku's little tally mark score of broken promises. They were starting to add up fast.

With what Sora had realized, Kairi continued on like their other friend wasn't missing, never once mentioning Riku in their conversations, and changing the subject when Sora brought him up. She was avoiding Riku, and everything related to Riku in even the smallest bit, and that made Sora suspicious of his girlfriend; what was she hiding?

Sora hung up the phone again, looking at he wallpaper picture of him, Kairi and Riku on the beach together right after they had gotten back. Their grins were toothy and shining, but Sora realized that it was before Riku started acting weird and Kairi began avoiding Riku. Then, that left Sora in the middle between the girl he was supposed to love and the boy he was supposed to call his best friend. He didn't like the odds of choosing if it came down to it.

A soft sound of waves crashed on the beach, no one else in sight, and he stared up at the starry sky, blue eyes so devoid of any emotion except hurt and betrayal. He felt so lonely, but when a little voice in the back of his head stared whispering, he closed his eyes and smiled a little.

"_You seem troubled. You okay?_" Roxas asked, and Sora could picture his other half's blonde hair and bright blue eyes nearly identical to his own. There was no point in lying, since Roxas was the other half of his heart, and he shrugged against the sand.

"Yeah. Riku." The brunette said simply, and if Roxas was really his Nobody, he'd know that's all that needed to be said.

Roxas made a sound somewhere between an irritated huff and an angry growl. "_Well, seems that Riku's made another bad move, huh? Sorry about it, Sora_." He could almost hear Roxas smile a little. "_He's supposed to be your best friend; why is he doing this?_"

"If I knew, I guess I wouldn't be sulking in the middle of the night on the beach, huh?" Sora sassed back.

"_Calm down there_." Roxas said. "_Maybe Riku's got a good reason for avoiding you and lying to you_."

Sora snorted. "Oh yeah? And what would that be?"

"_Maybe… Maybe he's in love with you._"

That nearly made the brunette piss his pants, because as soon as that last one-syllable word was out of Roxas' mouth, Sora doubled over in laughter, holding his stomach as tears of joy ran down his face, eyes shut tightly. "_Shut up! I was damn serious!_" Roxas yelled over his Somebody's loud laughing.

"And that makes it so funny!" Sora stopped and wiped the tears away, feeling the constriction in his stomach already. "Riku's not gay, Roxas. Not to mention, if he did love me, he wouldn't do that to me, right?"

Roxas huffed. "_I guess…_"

"You were so wrong."

"_Oh shut up and go to sleep._"

Sora frowned at the invisible blonde, then lay back on the sand, letting his eyes slip close slowly. It didn't matter if he was on the beach, or that the temperature was a bit nippier than last night's wind, all that matter was that he got Riku off his mind and out of his head, if even for a few hours.

He defiantly didn't count on anything bad happening.

* * *

Riku pressed the off key on his phone again, ignoring another call, sitting cross-legged on his bed's dark blue sheets, long silver hair pulled back in a messy ponytail and chest slowly rising and falling under his black muscle shirt. He fell back on his bed, ignoring the 'thunk' his headboard made against the wall, and closed his aquamarine eyes. Riku knew he was a terrible friend to do this to him, but what else was he supposed to do? Kairi threatened to tell Sora if Riku even so much as talked to her precious boyfriend, and that was a risk Riku wasn't going to take. Not even for Sora, which made Riku punch himself mentally in the stomach.

If he really was Sora's best friend, he would say to hell with Kairi and talk to him anyway. But, for some reason, the truth was just too much for him to try to face right now, and if he could ignore it, then it was for the best. The longer, the better. Kairi could have that sense of accomplishment and victory until Riku got the guts to tell Sora everything, and he would just have to feel like he's done something horrible (well, he has) and hope Sora wouldn't take it too hard.

The wallpaper on his phone lit up, and he looked over for just a split second, seeing the goofy picture of him and Sora that Kairi had taken of them just after they got back to the island. Back when they were still all friends, the three amigos, and the unstoppable trio. Even Selphie, Tidus and Wakka knew something was up, but they were still so in the dark it made Riku laugh. They couldn't begin to imagine the stuff Riku was hiding from everyone (except for Kairi, of course), and if they even knew… Well, Riku would probably never be able to show himself on the little islands they called their own for a long time. Especially not around Sora, either…

He shook his head, and then opened his eyes to the ceiling. Just as he was beginning to calm his thoughts down, he felt a weird force ripple across his body, and he sat up quickly, looking around. That was no ordinary feeling, either. It felt like how it did in the darkness all those months, and Riku gasped a little, putting on his Converse quickly before jumping out the window, ignoring the pain that splintered up his body from his ankle. With a little wobble and limp, he took off to the islands, now more alert, his body reacting to everything from the breeze to the small sounds of crickets. As he skidded to a stop next to the dock, he just randomly grabbed a boat, rowing out to where the feeling was coming from as quickly as possible.

The beach was empty, as he took careful steps forward, looking around fault. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but there was that dull throb of Darkness somewhere around here, but he was unable to tell where exactly. Waves crashed gently on the shore, there was a soft rustle of the tree in the breeze and his own footsteps on the sand, but it was so peaceful and calm. Just as he was starting to let his guard down, he felt an arm go around his neck and hold him back down. There was cold, nearly lifeless breath on the shell of his ear and an emotionless, nearly sickly sweet version of Sora's voice whisper.

"Don't move." It commanded, arm never leaving it's chokehold on Riku's neck.

Riku couldn't look back, but the hold against his body wasn't the normal sun-touched sand of Sora's skin, it was a pitch black. He closed his eyes, feeling his brain haze, his lungs burn, throat hurt and vision slowly go out of focus with white dots flash around. "S-Sora…" he mumbled, before a sudden rush of air filled his chest, and he fell, coughing and trying to control his breathing the best he could.

There was a growl from above him. "Sora? You dare call me by that pathetic boy graced with such a title as Keyblade wielder?" a snort. "Revolting."

Riku turned back to capture, looking head to toe of the Sora replica standing before him, entire body pitch black, yellow orbs were eyes should be burning holes into his own aquamarine eyes. "He's not pathetic," he snapped. "But, I guess Xehanort was right."

"Of course he was. He knew the Dark blade's powers, dear Riku." Anti-Sora smirked, and Riku saw a glint of sharp canine teeth. "He knew this would happen to Sora if he impaled himself. You should have known as well, but, I guess the information didn't received very well in your brain, no?"

The silver haired teen growled. "Shut up." He stood, still a little off balance from the chokehold, and then glared at the Heartless. Without hesitation, he drew his Keyblade, holding it out to its neck. "If you really are a Heartless, then if I should kill you, Sora's heart would be released, correct?"

Anti-Sora began laughing, something so odd sounding to Riku, but still something so comfortable; it was Sora's voice, after all. "No, no. You don't seem to understand. I'm not just a Heartless made from Sora's dark half of his heart; I AM the dark half of his heart. In a sense, I am Sora, so if you destroy me, you destroy your best friend."

Riku's hand faltered on a little, then he straightened up. "Then give me back Sora." He demanded, aquamarine eyes burning with something intense he felt down to his core; protection. The Heartless just shrugged.

"Depends if rather Sora would stay like this, or go back with you." It smirked. "After all, you haven't been a good friend lately, have you?"

The silver haired teen's grip tightened. "Just… Give me back Sora." Riku took a breath. "Now."

Before Riku could even blink, the Heartless was gone, replaced by a tripping Sora surrounded by a fading light, who looked half-asleep and about to fall over. Riku dove for him, and caught the brunette teen in his arms before he could hit the sand. Crystal clear blue eyes looked up at Riku, and a small smile lit up his face. "H-Hey Riku…" Then Sora went limp, unconscious yet again in Riku's arms. The silver haired boy sighed, then carried him bridal style, looking down at Sora once more.

"When it really matters," he whispered softly. "Will I be able to save you?"

* * *

_Kairi strode back from her balcony window to her bedside table, picking up her phone and flipping it open. She scrolled down in her phonebook, then pressed the green talk key, holding it up to her ear with an impatient smirk. It rang twice before it was answered. "What in the hell do you want…" Riku's groggy voice greeted her, sounding irritated at the interruption of his sleep._

_The auburn haired girl didn't care about that, but just smirked even more, even if Riku couldn't see it. "Hello Riku, I've got a proposal for you."_

"_What kind of sick shit are you going to do now, Kairi? You already know my goddamn secrets; what more could you want?" the boy on the other end snapped, but Kairi ignored it._

"_What I want, Riku, is for you to leave my boyfriend alone." She said in a tone no one could argue with or question. "All he's been able to talk about when we're together is you, and I know you were on the phone with him earlier while I was down at the beach." Her tone got dangerous. "I'll make this sweet and to the point, because I know how much you want your sleep and fucked up dreams. Don't talk to Sora, touch Sora, or even so much as look at him. If I find out from anyone that you've had any contact with Sora, your little secret becomes a not-so secret secret."_

_Riku growled on the other end. "And that's it. You won't tell anyone?"_

"_I cross my heart and hope to die."_

"_Well, that certainly makes me feel safe," came the sarcastic reply. "Cross over your stone cold heart and hope to die. I know I'm fine now."_

_Kairi scowled. "Fuck you, Riku. Just keep your little flaming man whore hands off of my boyfriend, or you'll regret it."_

'_Beep.'_


	4. Chapter 4

**Oh shit, it's been a while, huh? XD I guess school's really gotten to me, and the whole family being controlling isn't helping one bit ever. Well, good news for you guys, my town recently became the victim of that badass winter storm that blew threw the US, and I got a whole three days out of school (maybe a week if they cancel tomorrow ^^). So, instead of playing Dead Space like I wanted to, I was forced into writing this chapter by my friend, Alison (Yeah, you're reading this, I know). So, without anymore babbling, let's do reviews.**

**REVIEWS:**

**Sakura Li-chan: He really is a lot smarter than Sora. See, if only people listened to ROXAS, everything would be okie dokie. Kill Kairi in your head, but I promise, they'll be a story SOMEDAY where she's not a total bitch (I PROMISE THIS). Dude, if she had ANY common sense, she would realize Riku plus Sora equals FREAKIN' HOT. Okay, but I'm pretty sure if her mind thought of that, she'd get nosebleeds, she'd give up Sora, follow him and Riku and take pictures. No doubt at all. And this is soon, believe it or not. Without my friend Alison pushing me to finish it, you wouldn't have seen this for MONTHS:3**

**Nightmare Controller: I am very forgetful, too. Bwhahaha. Join the club:D And that does spell Kairi! YAY! Short ass review, btw.**

**A Rachell Stalker (AKA ALISON): You really aren't smart, are you XD Too bad I can put together you wanting me on Fanfiction ASAP, my phone with internet, and you're eagerness. I am too smart for you, blondie. Too smart. Also, you're review was too obvious. There aren't many people who go to our school who KNOW about my FFN account, or my stories. You, Morgan, Vannia and Dakari. Congrats, Xion; YOU FAIL! C:**

**Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts characters in Dead Space would be fuckin' epic. Unfortuantely, the game system/game creator difference is too great. Damn. Oh well.**

**Demyx still has my rum. STEAL IT FOR ME.  
**

* * *

**Chapter Four:**

Sora was really starting to get sick of this; it was the send time in two weeks that he had just… fainted, and woke up smelling like Riku and the sea. If anything, it was more of a mystery, but it still pissed him off beyond belief. Things like that weren't supposed to happen at all. And, to add up the suspicions, Riku hadn't been seen in a week, and Kairi looked happier than ever. He didn't want to add the two up; he didn't think he was ready for any kinda of truth just yet.

Selphie and Tidus looked more and more worried by the day as Sora began out casting himself from the rest of the group, sitting on the bent paopu tree and staring into the ocean for hours on end. No matter what the two seemed to do, nothing could break Sora from his nearly mindless staring; not even Kairi could. Tidus gave up after the first two days, and Kairi eventually followed him, but Selphie knew what was wrong, and she knew how to fix it. But she knew that Riku wouldn't agree to it. And worst of all.

Kairi wouldn't like it.

* * *

There was a knock at the front door downstairs, but Riku didn't bother moving to get it; his mom would. He was too depressed and guilty to even get up out of bed, which made him increasingly grateful it was summer. After what had happened last night, Riku wasn't sure about Sora, Kairi, and even himself anymore. He promised Sora he'd keep him safe (even though Sora couldn't hear it), but what good was he if he just stayed in bed all day because he was confused?

Well, it did sound way better in his head.

The knock was on his door next. "Riku?" It was Selphie. "Hey, can I come in?"

He sat up then blinked a little. "Yeah."

Selphie came in, her hair pulled down into two pigtails, dressed in a yellow tank top, short sleeved jean jacket, blue jean skirt and a pair of yellow flip flops. She took one look at Riku, and then sighed, a pained look crossing her face. "Hey, you look horrible." She crossed over to him, then sat on the edge of the bed next to him, frowning. "Is it Sora, still?"

Riku nodded. "Yeah, and Sora really isn't the same…" He looked down. "I would ask him what's wrong but…"

"Kairi would find out and tell Sora about your secret?"

Riku looked over at Selphie, a look of panic written on his face, but she just smiled calmly. "H-How do yo-"

"She told me. But I'm not going to tell Sora. It's your business, not mind. Frankly," Selphie sighed. "Kairi really shouldn't be freaking out this much."

The silver haired boy shrugged, then looked at her. "So what should I do, Selphie? I can't talk to Sora without Kairi getting mad, and her getting mad equals my loss."

The brunette smirked. "Leave it to me, Riku. Don't worry; I'll figure it out."

"T-Thank you, Selphie."

They hugged quickly. "It's not a problem, Riku." They parted. "I should get back to the island, okay? If you feel up to it, you should come down there later."

Riku smiled, just a little, but it made Selphie feel accomplished. "I will."

* * *

Kairi was getting fed up with it.

Sora was sitting on the tree again, just staring into space like he had for the past week nearly, not even realizing his girlfriend was over on the beach staring at him. He hadn't moved at all when Tidus and Wakka offered to play Blitzball, and even Selphie couldn't snap him out with a quick brawl. Kairi had tried, but she couldn't do it either. It's like Sora's mind was somewhere else, or if he was having an out-of-body-experience. He just spaced out for hours, then left without a word. Hearing Sora's voice lately had become like a treat for a dog; it was so rare it made Kairi smile for days on end, until she ran out of the mini-high he gave her.

Kairi didn't know how many times she damned Riku, but it hadn't been enough, apparently since her boyfriend was still sulking. And, to make it worse, that little nagging voice at the back of her mind wouldn't shut up, no matter what she did.

"_Listen, Kairi, can't you just leave Sora alone? He looks depressed."_

"Shut up, Namine." She was glad she was alone on the beach, other than emo-Sora, but he knew the whole Roxas and Namine thing. "I don't think that'll help. He needs to be comforted."

"_Not by you, Kairi. Are you really that dense?" _Namine snapped. _"He needs to be comforted by his best friend, not his girlfriend." _

Kairi scowled. "His best friend is a whore. Don't even mention him."

"Riku isn't!" Namine snapped again. "You're just jealous, Kairi! Jealous that he's known Sora the longest, that he's the one Sora trusts the most, and that he's closer to him than you!"

The red head nearly screamed. "You bitch! That's not true!"

"Then why else would you try to block Sora from Riku, even though it's killing him on the inside? You want to have what Riku has, but you can't." the blonde doppelganger would have been shaking her head by now. "If you truly loved Sora, you'd let him talk to Riku."

Kairi glared, then smirked. "Sora will talk to Riku over my dead body." She then blocked out anything Namine had to say, looking into the sky as she saw Sora leave the tree and go back toward home, something she knew she herself should do, since the sky was darkening and the warm sunset colors were painting their way onto the horizon. Kairi sighed, stood then brushed the sand off her clothes, turning to go back home herself, worrying about Sora the only thing on her mind.

When, in truth, Sora should be worried about himself.

* * *

_The gentle crash of waves on the beach, the acrid smell of the salt water, the warm breeze sticking to his sun kissed skin. It seemed like such a perfect day, but it felt all so wrong. He dangled his feet off the side of the tree, looking out into the ocean, where the last bits of daylight were glittering off the gently rolling water. Sora sighed with a bit of peace, then jumped down, turning to go back to the dock. It was getting late, he had to be home in time for dinner, and his mom certainly didn't care if Sora saved the world or not; dinnertime was dinnertime. _

_As he treaded softly in the sand, there was a squeak from the door on the seaside shack. Sora turned, blue eyes wide at the small wooden structure, eyes catching with his best friend, and he relaxed a little. "Riku? What are you doing down here so late?"_

"_What are you doing down here so late?" Riku smirked, making Sora frowned. "I was just trying to see if I left something down here, but I guess I didn't." The silver haired boy shrugged. "Oh well. Mind if I go back with you?"_

"_Not at all." Sora smiled. "We've got a lot to talk about, anyway. Kairi's been really controlling lately, so I've barely gotten time to talk to you."_

_Riku nodded. "Yeah, I noticed." He looked away, then back up to Sora's face, smiling. "Hey, Sora?"_

_The brunette's stomach flipped, and he stopped, eyes meeting with Riku's. Blue and aquamarine. "Yeah, Riku?"_

"_I have something really important to tell you. Promise you won't laugh?" the silver haired boy smiled just a little more, watching as his best friend's face turned from shock to embarrassment._

_Sora nodded. "I-I promise." What was going on? Why did he keep stuttering, why was his stomach flipping and why was it every time he looked at Riku his heart hurt a little and he started shaking?_

_Riku's hands fell to Sora's shoulders, and his face grew deathly serious, but soft like he didn't want to hurt him at all. Sora's face was red, his knees were starting to give out, and he was damn near sure his heart was skipping too many beats and there were tears in his blue eyes… But why? "Sora, I…" His best friend stopped, looked down, then took a breath, bringing his eyes back up to meet with the brunette's. "Sora, I love you."_

_He leaned in, and Sora closed his eyes to expect the kiss, but suddenly everything just disappeared; Riku, the island, the world, everything. There was a slow knocking._

"_Sora! Sora!"_

_

* * *

_

"Sora! Sora!"

Sora sat up in bed, holding his chest and panting, red in the face with tears rolling down his cheeks. He looked around, noticing this was his room, there was no Riku, and his mom was on the other side of the door, calling for him to wake up.

"I'll be down in a minute." He said, loud enough to be heard, but not too loud to ruin the euphoria he felt in his heart. Sora raised his hand up to his lips and let his fingers linger there, and even it didn't happen in the dream, he felt Riku's lips against his own in a kiss that was so taboo, so wrong that it felt so incredibly right. He closed his eyes, wiped what was left of the tears, then threw back the covers, knowing his mom would be back up in a minute to force him out of bed (and Sora didn't feel like dealing that). He grabbed his khaki cargo shorts, his black shirt and his shoes, throwing them on, then going downstairs.

The smell of bacon was heavy in the air, and his mom turned from her spot at the kitchen stove with a smile. "Good morning, Sora!" she greeted cheerily, shoving scrambled eggs onto a plate, then sliding out a couple pieces of bacon and handing it to Sora. "What are your plans for the day?"

Sora sat at the island counter, his mom's back to him, then started eating his breakfast. "Just going to go down to the islands with Kairi." He told her that everyday, but always ended up just sitting on the tree and sulking.

"That's sweet. Kairi's such a nice girl." His mom looked back. "What ever happened to Riku? I haven't seen much of him lately."

The brunette gulped. "H-He's been sick." He smiled a little. "Got a summer cold." He couldn't ignore the pain that caused his heart, and the sharp stabs of… darkness? What?

"Oh, poor kid." His mom shook her head. "Well, hopefully he get better. I'd hate it if you got neglected to hang out with your best friend."

She didn't even know.

* * *

So far, Kairi hadn't found out.

Selphie had to say she was doing pretty well; Riku agreed to answer to when he should come down, Sora was still sulking, and Kairi hadn't suspected a thing. Tidus and Wakka were blissfully ignorant, as always, but she never expected much out of them anyway. All she had to do was wait for the right moment to move, and then she'd be safe.

And as she looked out the window that morning when she woke up, she knew it was a now-or-never situation; this was her time to move.

Selphie picked up her cell phone, going into her phone book and finding Riku, putting it up to her ear and waiting for the answer.

"Hello." Riku said, a little slow and exhausted. "What do you want Selphie."

She had to act. "Sora went down to the island, and I think a storm's coming." 'Please work.'

There was a shuffling. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah! Kairi told me today that he went down there, but that a storm was going to strike in any moment." Selphie bit her lip. "Riku, I-"

"I'm going down there."

"What?" Selphie nearly yelled into the phone. "Riku, that's dangerous!"

Riku snorted. "I've been through worse. Don't leave your phone anywhere too far. If something happens, I'll call you." He sighed. "Selphie, don't tell Kairi."

"You'd already be busted if I tell Kairi anything. Be safe."

"I will."

Beep.

Mission accomplished.


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, so I'm on some kind of ROLL this week! Two updates? WOW! School has been really slow since we just took this major test and all (English, too. EAAASSY), and I'm passing all my classes (except for German =_=). I've been in a really good mood the past few days, and I'm just on such a motivational spree, I can't stop myself! I'm probably going to update this and Moonlit Lies a lot in the next week or so. Enjoy them:D**

**REVIEWS:**

**A Rachell Stalker (iSpazzeh14): Right, of course you did (wow, this happened forever ago XD). Of course you didn't. And you are blonde, sweetie. Just accept it. You better feel special, and THAAAAAAAAAANK YOU. *You're, btw, Ms. Grammar-Nazi :3 I love your mind, too. HEY, LOOK! NEARLY A MONTH LATER, YOU GET TO FIND OUT! WEEEEEEEEEEEEE! YAY FOR SELPHIE (-ignores your rant on grammar-). And no more randomness. I love the story, and I love you too!:D KEEP REVIEWING.**

**Sakura Li-chan: Selphie is amazing. She's my little fangirl in there =w= Namine and Roxas=THE SMART ONES. If only Kairi and Roxas would listen... -shakes head- Sorry for the month delay; school, family, friends, love crises and what-not. Typical teenage shit. Thanks for the review; hopefully I haven't lost you, yet!**

**Nightmare controller: I wish you could remember; it's been a month XD You still alive over there? YOU HAD TEH FLU? OH NOEZ! My friend, Devin, did too, for a while. I was so sad D: Xion=iSpazzeh=A Rachell Stalker=Alison=One of my best friends. She fails, to some extent. THE DREAM IS NOT. YOU JUST JELLY BECAUSE SORA GETS RIKU -evil face- Mission is a GO GO GO! But not in this chapter! Sooorry!;D I love you, and your reviews! Keep 'em coming!**

**Jane St. Valentine: O_o Thriller... MICHAEL JACKSON REFERENCE! AWWWWWWWWWWYEAAAAA. You... Your sad about bashing Kairi...? Eh, I feel guilty sometimes; she's not meant to be the bitch, it's just so easy to write her like that XD And whoring yourself out isn't bad, especially when yaoi is on the table;D. Vanitas' voice= Dead sexy. Ooooh yes -heart heart heart- I love your reviews; thank you so much for them!**

**Disclaimer: Woot! It's been a month! But, let's see, NOPE. I still don't own Kingdom Hearts or anything. SqeeEnix does, and they don't realize that they are lucky sons of bitches... -growls- **

**Also, the book mentioned, _The Martian Chronicles_, is the lamest book I have ever read, and it was soooo boring... =_= My school tried to kill us off... AND I DIDN'T EVEN GET INTO HONORS ENGLISH! I had to put this so Nightmare controller wouldn't kill me later... :D**

**ENJOY CHAPTER FIVE, MY PRETTIES!:D**

* * *

**Chapter Five:**

The sky was gray, evident storm cloud gathering over the main island and the little one they called as their own. The seas were calm when Riku left, but once he docked and started looking around for Sora, the tide had changed to be more violent and dangerous. What had Selphie been thinking? He tied his boat up to the small makeshift dock, then stood up straight and looked around. The wind was picking up just a little, and he could see the clouds starting to move in closer. The storm wasn't going to be forgiving for anyone, even if that someone might have happened to help save the world, but he knew the real hero was somewhere around here; where was the question.

Riku knew Sora hung out at the tree from what Selphie told him sometimes, and he knew that he would be spacing out as always, completely oblivious to the outside world, including the storm. Sora, in that state, was probably in true danger, and Riku began to panic; what if he couldn't make it in time?

The silver haired boy picked up his pace, looking around and in ever little cave on the island, including the secret place, where the door was missing its hinges and knob, forever sealed again. He frowned at it then left just as a light sprinkle started to rain. "Shit." He cursed, then took one look to the tree, Sora missing. "Double shit." This was impossible! What were the chances of THAT happening?

"Sora!" he yelled, cupping his hands over his mouth, hoping the brunette boy could hear him. "Sora!"

"Riku?"

The teen looked up to the Seaside Shack, Sora standing in the doorway with a confused and shocked look on his face. "What the hell?"

"I could ask you the same damn thing! What the hell are you doing out here?" Riku practically yelled, glaring at Sora, when a crash of thunder reached his ears. "Shit. We need to go, Sora."

Sora shook his head. "Look at the sea. You think we're getting home that way?"

"Huh?" The silver haired teen looked out to where his best friend had mentioned, nearly groaning in frustration as he saw the waves crash roughly against the shore, then gasped and jumped a little when Sora grabbed his wrist. "What?"

"You're going to get soaked. Get in here. I don't need you sick."

The silver haired boy was pulled inside by his best friend, who had managed to find a couple of old blankets they must have left there on the island years ago, and was thrown one. "Here. I know it's not much, but it's not like I knew I was going to be stuck on the island." He wrapped his printed blanket around his shoulders and sat on the ground, knees to his chest. "Does your phone work?"

Riku reached into his pocket, and then sighed. "It's not there." He said slowly and Sora growled.

"My doesn't work; battery died." The brunette glared at the dirt ground, ignoring the sound of rain heavy on the wood roof. "We're trapped here until someone can come get us."

The silver haired teen lowered his gaze as well. "And the waves are too strong and dangerous to put a boat on."

"Ours will probably be gone by tomorrow."

"So we really are trapped on the island."

Sora and Riku's gaze met, and the blue eyed teen nodded, fear and panic evident in his eyes. "We are."

* * *

Sora didn't know what to do, exactly. The air was heavy and awkward being so close to Riku, and his heart wouldn't calm down to a normal rate and probably wouldn't for a while. Why did he feel like this, and why was it only around Riku? Even a look sent his face exploding in color, God forbid their eyes happen to meet at the same time. And Riku looked so damn comfortable. Was he really that dense?

The worst part about it was Sora didn't know what it was; he just felt all mushy and awkward around Riku. If there was a rational reason for it, he didn't really need to hear it right now, and defiantly didn't want to know ever. It would always be better to be friends, or enemies.

Eventually, the rain had gotten to be so bad water was seeping in from the roof, landing on the brunette's head, and making him growl under his breath. "Dammit," he cursed, scooting away from the leak and closer to Riku without even meaning to. Riku tensed up. "I guess we'll have to fix that…" he laughed a little.

The silver haired boy shrugged, and then put a little more distance between the two of them, looking at Sora with apology. He just shrugged like his friend had, pulling the blanket around him tighter, even though he didn't feel cold. The silence settled in the shack, neither of them speaking, only the sounds of the rain, thunder and wind pounding outside reaching their ears.

"I'm sorry." Riku said, looking across to the wall opposite of them, a blank look on his face.

"I don't get why you are. I would have been stuck here on my own if it wasn't for you. At least now I have someone to talk to." Sora smiled at him, then looked away as the blush rose to his face.

The silver haired teen shook his head. "I'm not sorry for this… I'm sorry for not talking to you for so long." Sora's eyes widened. "I feel like a horrible friend, so…" Aquamarine and blue met, red tints rising to both of their faces. "I'm sorry, Sora."

He couldn't look away, even though his head was screaming at him to. There was this little nagging voice in the back of his mind, one he recognized as Roxas, but he pushed it back until it was nothing. His heart was beating loudly against his chest, he was sure Riku heard it and his stomach was doing all sorts of jumping and flipping. He swallowed back his embarrassment, then nodded. "I-It's okay, Riku." He looked down before he could say something stupid, the color of his best friend's eyes still behind his eyelids. "Why did you, though?"

Riku gasped a little, his entire body tensing up, Sora titling his head to the side. "It was… Um…" He took a shaky breath. "How is Kairi?"

Sora blinked at the topic change, and he felt his euphoric feeling vanish. "Oh, she's okay." His voice wasn't happy or excited like most people's would be, like Tidus would be if it he was dating Kairi. "She's been acting really weird lately, though."

"Really?"

Sora nodded. "Yeah. She went from pissed off like nothing else, then to stupid happy. I'm just wondering what kind of mood swings girls really have…"

Riku laughed, then ruffled the brunette's spikes, sending shocks of touch down Sora's body. "They're confusing. I know."

"At least Selphie's easy to figure out."

"Selphie's not stupid like Kairi."

They two looked at each other, then started laughing, nearly forgetting about the position they were in, and how much trouble this could be for the both of them. Sora smiled, a true smile, for the first time in God knows how long, and Riku mirrored it, both of them sitting with their backs to the wood wall. "I wish I knew how late it was…"

"It's probably about five or six, since I left around four." Riku told him, looking down at him with a smirk. "Why, are you tired or something?"

Sora blushed, frowning at Riku's baby tone. "I am not tired!" He yawned then glared at Riku. "Okay, maybe a little. I'm gonna go lay down over here, okay?" He stood, then went to the other side, lying down and facing Riku, smiling. "Night." Riku just snorted a little, just as his blue eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The sunlight streaming into the shack awoke him in the morning, and he didn't want to open his blue eyes to the blinding light. He stirred a little when he heard the creaking of the door opening and frowned in his half-asleep state. Riku was complaining of the mud, and he heard something hit the wall with a heavy thud. Sora groaned in frustration, then sat up, rubbing his eyes and sending glares to Riku, who looked back with apology.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up, Sora." The silver haired teen was picking up what looked like a soggy book from the ground and held it up. "I went to the boat to see if this was there, but I found it on the beach, soaked and ruined."

Sora yawned. "What is it?"

"_The Martian Chronicles_. It was the stupidest and lamest book I've ever read, but it beat nothing at all." He frowned, and then threw it down, shrugging. "Oh well, I guess that means no reading while we're here."

The brunette shrugged as well, eyes focused almost unclearly against the ground. "So what are we going to do? Obviously we can't just… stay here." He said, thinking himself completely stupid right after. What the hell was that?

"Well, I know that we need to get firewood, so maybe when the temperature drops even if just a little too cold, we'd be warm. All the wood is wet now, though…" Riku frowned. "Also, it doesn't look to pretty out there."

Sora flinched like that took some sort of physical damage to him. Him and Riku had worked so hard with Tidus, Selphie and Wakka when they were kids to make this island look like it did, and a storm had nearly ruined it over night. The brunette smiled, though, then stood. "I want to see." He said softly, walking back Riku to go out onto the shore. Some of the trees were broken, and branches lay around. Boards from upper level platforms and tree houses had fallen, making him frown a little more. There were rocks, leaves, twigs, boards and nails laying all over the golden sand, and he sighed. "I didn't know it was this bad…"

"Yeah, it'll take some work…" Riku looked down at the shorter teen, and then put an arm around him to comfort. "I'm sorry. I know that this island was important…"

Sora shook his head, then looked up to Riku, making their eyes meet for a moment. "We should get to work. We don't have a lot of daylight, judging by where the sun is right now." A red was rising in his cheeks, but neither of them would look away.

Riku nodded, then turned, smiling a little. "Yeah. We should. Let's start getting some firewood together, okay?"

Sora didn't see anything but viridian the rest of the day.

* * *

It was kind of surprising that they were able to make a campfire, much less find wood that wasn't soaked from the heavy rain. Riku didn't complain though, and sure as hell didn't question it, and when him and Sora finally were able to settle down the fire and get situated in the shack, they were both tired.

"Man, we haven't camped out on the island in years…" Sora said, smiling a little, then yawning. "I mean, granted, then we could leave when we wanted to, and we're kinda trapped now, but still… Feels like it."

Riku nodded, a smile gracing over his own face. "Yeah, I remember the first time we camped out here; you were scared something was going to get us, but it took two hours and a million promises to show you that you'd be fine."

"Yeah, you told me that if anything, or anyone, tried to get me, you'd beat them to a pulp, just like you did to Wakka and Tidus." The brunette could hold back his laughter. "And I believed you."

"Nothing got you that night, no?" Riku asked with a bit of mock irritating in his voice.

The shorter teen shook his head. "No, nothing did. Of course, that snake did try to get me…"

The silver haired teen pushed Sora playfully. "That snake snuck up on me."

"Oh, so Tidus did too, the next time we camped out?"

"He's like a freakin' monkey; I didn't know he was going to show up on the island."

They started laughing, holding their sides then looked up at each other with true genuine smiles on their faces. Their eyes met, aquamarine and blue, then Sora looked away quickly, red in his cheeks. "Um… Well, we should get to sleep…"

The embarrassment on the brunette's face was obvious, so Riku nodded in silent agreement as Sora grabbed one of the blankets and curled up into a ball, smiling at Riku. "Good night."

The silver haired teen smiled back and nodded. "Night Sora."

* * *

He was startled into consciousness, the balance on his body off, as well as the light-headed feeling in his skull key factors in his waking. As Riku tried to move, nothing he did seemed to lift the pressure off his chest, and he groaned as he opened his eyes. He met yellow orbs instead of the wood ceiling, and then narrowed his eyes. Anti-Sora smirked, and Riku shoved him off, glaring with fire in his eyes.

"Hello again, Riku." The dark Sora doppelganger cooed, pinning Riku down and smirking. His golden eyes burned eyes into Riku's, his smirk twisting into something more evil, more sinister.

"What the hell…?" Riku said, voice still thick from sleep. He coughed a little to clear it. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Anti-Sora sighed, then let Riku go, earning a hard shove to the other side of the shack. "Is that any way to treat such a 'good friend' of ours? Or do you always treat your friends this way?" The shadow smiled, eyes seeming to get softer as he stood to follow after Riku.

Riku wasn't going to buy it. He immediately jumped into the defensive, holding up his blade and glaring at Anti-Sora. "Why did you come back?" The silver haired teen's voice wasn't anything less that rash and harsh, but he'd be damned if this damn overly powerful shadow took over his best friend. He'd promised…

"I came to warn you; do you know about the moon phases?"

"Only idiots don't." Riku's aquamarine eyes narrowed. "Why. What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

Anti-Sora put a hand on Riku's, the one that held the blade's hilt. "I might be an 'asshole', Riku, but I'm still Sora."

Viridian met yellow, and the silver haired teen looked away. "So you are. What were you talking about?"

"The new moon." Anti-Sora looked to the sky. "It'd be best if you avoided it the best you could."

"Why?"

"I am darkness, and what happens during the new moon?"

Riku stopped, then his eyes widened. "It gets dark because the moon's light can't be seen."

"And my power, it increases." Almost like it he was nearly back to being 'Anti-Sora', he sent a cold glare to the half moon- it was a Last Quarter. "But, right now, I am afraid it is hard to stay like this; the moonlight is too bright."

The silver haired teen seemed almost unphased as Anti-Sora faded away, and Sora replaced him, falling nearly perfectly back into Riku's arms. The brunette had a sleepy look on his face, and cracked his eyes open a little, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Riku…?"

"You started sleep walking. You almost fell." Riku lied, covering himself up quickly.

Sora bought it and shrugged, and then left Riku's arms and went to lay back down, yawning. The older of two scratched the back of his head and frowned; this was just lovely. A Last Quarter was about a week before a New Moon. He had a week to fix this up? How the hell was he supposed to do that?

He looked up at Sora's sleeping form, and smiled. Riku didn't want to think about how hard it would be to avoid the New Moon, instead he just tried to focus on the time he got to spend with Sora. His stomach did flips, even as he slept.


	6. Chapter 6

**My computer has taken over my life, do believe. THREE UPDATES THIS WEEK! Either I'm getting loyal, or I'm getting bored... Since my friend Cody is grounded and my friend Jenni can't do anything until her room is clean, I've pretty much been bored without people who to hang out with that live down the street from me ;-; I FEEL SO LONELY.**

**Eh. I've got fandom -heart-**

**So, as you saw, last chapter was OMG long. And this chapter, well... Hahahaha... I was typing it up last night at midnight and texting my friend Cody and I actually just fell asleep in the middle of typing the last lines up (literally. I can sleep type now ^^). I told him and he was like "Nice! But you should go to sleep", so I did. But, the chapter six is finished and not it is ready for your viewing, my friends!**

**REVIEWS:**

**Sakura Li-chan: BOOYAH YOU STILL LIVE. Have you read the other one? Have you, have you? Moonlit Lies was updated and I haven't been paying attention to that one (iSpazzeh: -hits over the head with a bat- BAD ROXAS!), so I have noooo idea who's reviewed... ^^' On other news... School always equals motivation to write but also writer's block at the same time. AND NO KAIRI IN THE LAST CHAPTER... Unfortuantely, there is a little Kairi in this one, so... Sorro ;-; But where there is Kairi, there is also Selphie! YURZ! C: I actually had to look up the moon phases and everything; eight grade science was too long ago (two years is too long; I've slept since then... or maybe I slept during then... Idk.)! I hope I did fine; a whole week should give them plenty of time -evil laugh- Thanks for the review!:D**

**FantasmeDarkHaven: Nice name. Pretty pimpin' And you reviewed a lot :D Well if you don't know much, you should go play it, silly! It's a really good game!:D All my readers want to kill Kairi (although Jane St. Valentine might not...), so we'll all start a mob:) She acts all sweet and loving toward Sora, but Riku unleashes her "ROAR IMMA KILL YOU AND CUT OFF YOUR DI-" side XD Angst makes the word go round, but it will soon smooth out -takes sip of rum- Also, do you have rum?:D Rum also makes the world go round. Must... know... who's... secret. Imma confused ._. RiSo is the cutest pairing ever... ^^ Thanks for your reviews!:D**

**Jane St. Valentine: Sweetie, I do that all the time... Does that make me a bad reader too? D: NOOOO! AHAHA! YOU GET THE PERVERTED INTENTIONS! I love you forever XD Actually... I can't ._. That song's just too full of win and awesome! I... I actually haven't played Birth By Sleep, I just kinda... Youtube-d Vanitas' voice and listened it, fell out of my chair and started crawling in circles while fangirl-squeeling and my brother just looked at me... Then my mom yelled at me XD And he really did! Not only is Vanitas like an emo, evil Sora, but he also has the sexiest voice in the world! Well... I think that's Riku's, but whatevz. Thanks for the reviews!:D**

**Disclaimer: AAAAND I... don't own Kingdom Hearts. Although I might name my kid Roxas when I'm older... (My friend Jenni: Yeah, name your son after the fictional character you have an undying love for; that's not creepy at all...). **

**RUM:D -holds up bottle, only for Riku to swing by and steal it- DAMMIT RIKU! -runs off-**

* * *

**Chapter Six:**

She either couldn't believe it, or refused to. There was no way that her boyfriend and that man whore he called his best friend were stuck on that damn island for God knows how long while the idiots they called emergency response team tried to fix the docks, where seemed almost ruined beyond repair. They hadn't had a storm like this in so long, so it left the islanders shaken, especially when they found out that Sora and Riku were trapped on the smaller island, without a way to go get them.

The boats were damaged or washed into the sea.

The docks were all trashed, broken and laying in pieces on the shore.

No one had the guts, or the bravery, to swim out there to get them.

Kairi was beyond pissed at the cowards in her town. Not even Wakka or Tidus would swim out there, because they both concluded that Sora wouldn't have enough "strength" to swim back, and Riku would be in no mood to just go along with things like that. A week, one of the men working on the boats had told her. One week and then they could rescue them, bring them back safety, and bring them back to an ever pissed and changed Kairi.

The red head had been in no mood to even put up with Selphie or Tidus much anymore. Wakka and Tidus decided to play Blitzball in the field behind the high school, and Selphie seemed to be up to something; too confident, almost too cheery. Whatever she had planned in her head, Kairi was going to shut down; she had no room for traitors.

Selphie, however, was amazed her plan had worked at all. Riku and Sora were on the island together for a whole week; seven days for them to patch things up and Riku to hopefully tell the truth to Sora. Maybe even enough time for Sora to build up some courage to break up with Kairi (who was almost unbearable with her bitchy attitude). After all, why should Sora stay with her; she was cheating on him. Who, however, was something Selphie needed to get to the bottom of; no way she was letting Sora get hurt like this.

'Oh, Riku…' the brunette had turned to the small island from her window and frowned. 'Don't waste your time out there, please…'

* * *

Campfire, water and a place to sleep. In the past twenty-four hours, that's what him and Sora had been able to gather; fire, water and shelter. Riku had to say, though, this wasn't easy. They hadn't eaten in a whole day, entering almost two days now, and the energy level was starting to deplete. Riku wasn't feeling so great, and his head was starting to throb and he was getting kinda of dizzy, but Sora looked tired and like he was going to faint. They both weren't the type to go a few hours without eating, much less two days, and it was starting to show how extremely bad this situation was if they didn't find food, and fast.

"We could try fishing…" Sora said, looking at the ocean. "I remember while we were building the raft, I caught fish and there's always the coconuts."

Riku immediately felt like an idiot; of course there was the coconut trees; him and Sora always tried climbing to the top to get the fruit when they were younger. But in the middle of the dark doppelganger and the storm, he had forgotten about them. Fishing sounded like a good idea, but they would need a pole and something to tie for a string. "I wish I thought of that; now I feel stupid." He chuckled while walking up to the paopu tree's island, turning to Sora with a smirk, one simply placed to mess with him. "Then there's always the paopu…"

The brunette's face went red and shook his head without hesitation. "Oh no! There's only one, and no way am I sharing one with my best friend!" He stopped, and then smiled. "No offense, or anything."

Riku shrugged it off then picked up a large, brown nut, holding it out to Sora. "Here, carry that for a moment, okay? I'm going to look for another one." His short friend nodded with a smile, and then went back to the Seaside Shack while Riku turned to the paopu tree, lifting himself up to sit on the sloped branch. The sun was starting to lower, the clouds were floating by and Sora was waiting patiently in the shack. Anti-Sora flashed into his mind, and he narrowed his eyes at the memory of the prick. Without thinking about it, his fist clenched around the trunk and he sighed. It was just something he had to figure out, like how to tell Sora about that and the other thing. He reached over without a hard time and grabbed a paopu fruit, and jammed it into his pocket softly; maybe he'd convince Sora that survival comes before the stupid legend of the fruit.

There was a creak, and he turned. Sora was frowning. "Did you find one, lazy bum?" he asked, coming over to sit next to him. "And you're the one so intent on getting us off the island and also so fixed on working…" He chuckled, nudging the silver haired teen softly. "But, I guess this tree is just hard to not sit on, huh?"

"Yeah… Also, looks like all the coconuts were blown out into sea during the storm. That's the only one." Riku told him, and Sora frowned at the only coconut in his hands then looked back up at Riku with a smile.

"We can share." The brunette sounded so innocent, but the silver haired teen's cheeks turned a little pink. "We should probably look for something to fish with because I'm seriously starting to get hungry."

Riku nodded, all embarrassment aside, then followed Sora down to the shack. Sea gulls were squawking overhead, almost as if they were making fun of them for their lack of fishing skills. The silver haired teen sighed, ruffled his hair, then slipped his only hair tie off his wrist and into his hair, pulling it back into a messy high ponytail. "I think we could look around for a few broken branches, and maybe some of the vine would work for the wire…"

"I remember seeing some rope up in that tree house." Sora motioned to the one above the waterfall. "It was hanging on the wall."

There was a danger surrounding that tree house; the ladder looked on the edge of breaking, and probably was if Riku decided to climb up it. But, they needed food and right now, that was all that was motivating Riku to try the stupidest idea he's ever had. "I'll go up and get it." When he looked back, he saw Sora's eyes wide and lips out in a pout in that innocently worried look, and he nearly jumped him there. "I-I'll be fine," he promised, ruffling Sora's hair and going to the ladder.

The first rung creaked under his weight and he winced, and then got his grip steady and climbed up step by step as slow as he could. Sora was down there, watching him, and he couldn't just back out now; his pride was yelling at him to keep going. When he finally reached the platform, he let out a sigh and hoisted himself up to his feet, standing nearly perfectly inside. There were small leaves and edges of over grown vines and bushes creeping into the cracks of the wood and spaces between the boards and sweeping his aquamarine eyes over the small tree house, he spotted the coiled rope in the corner. With tentative steps forward, he picked it up and went back over the threshold, smiling down at Sora. "Found it!" he yelled, throwing it down to the brunette.

Sora caught it with a smile, and then frowned in worry. "Get down from there, please! It doesn't look very steady!"

It was like he was cursed. Just as the last word escaped Sora's mind, the tree house gave one groan and collapsed, Riku going down with it. The last thing Riku remembered was Sora's yells and the blue sky before blacking out.

* * *

_The soft sounds of waves on the shore, the calming smell of salt in the air and the overwhelming sense of being home and safe. That was what he missed the most, and laying here on the island made it all rush back, and Riku realized he missed this more than he knew._

_Silence settled on the haven like a blanket, but then he heard the soft noises of footsteps in the sand, and he sat up, turning to look into blue eyes filled with trepidation. Sora blinked then smiled back at him, waving a little. "Hey Riku." Was all the brunette said, sitting down next to the silver haired teen and looking out into the sunset. "Whatcha doing out here?"_

"_Just relaxing." Riku told him, feeling even more relaxed when his best friend settled next to him. "What are you doing out here?"_

"_I came to find you."_

_The older teen looked over at Sora, cocking his eyebrow in confusion. "Me? Wouldn't you rather go hang out with Kairi?"_

_The brunette shook his head. "No. I want to spend time with my best friend, and I…" A pause, and then he continued. "I need to tell you something."_

"_What is it?"_

_Sora looked over at Riku, innocence and strict curiosity in his eyes and demeanor. He was nothing more than a child at the moment with this wide blue orbs and almost pouty lips. He swallowed. "I… like you, Riku…" He froze, and Sora continued, this time with panic and hurt. "N-No… I mean… I… Uhh…"_

_The latter of his rambling was due to the fact Riku had leaned his, fingers under Sora's chin to lift his face up. "Sora." His voice was smooth, seductive and like a drug to Sora. "I love you."_

_Their lips met, just once, and then they parted before diving back in with a little more rush and harsh movements. There was no holding back, it seemed, and they rushed into everything, mumbling sweet nothings and confessions._

"_Sora…!"_

* * *

"Riku…?"

Sora was genuinely confused at the moment. Had Riku just mumbled his name in his sleep? Or, was he in a coma? Like he knew. All he knew was that Riku seemed like he was in pain, but he seemed to be doing fine beside the fact he was mumbling his best friend's name in his sleep, coma thing.

The silver haired teen was quiet again, and Sora sat back against the wood wall, looking at the ceiling with blue eyes, hurt as well as confused. It was the past two days that whenever Riku's eyes met his own, his face exploded and his heart wouldn't stop aching and beating. He didn't know what was going on; whatever it was, he certainly didn't feel that way about Kairi. Riku was something completely different in his heart. What could it have been?

Sora looked down at his lap, clenching his fists and a little voice in the back of his mind started talking. _"You really are a dumbass, huh?"_ Roxas was being snarky and sarcastic again, something Sora could really do without.

"I'm not in the mood, Roxas."

"_I know, but why didn't you listen to me, Sora?"_ the blonde doppelganger could have been frowning. _"Listen, Riku likes you, and now, it's obvious you like him."_

Sora's face exploded red. "I-I do not like him, Roxas! How off could you be?"

"_Then explain the heart beat and the stomach flips. You never felt that way for Kairi, and all the sudden you feel that way around Riku!"_

"He's my best friend…"

"_And Axel was mine, and I know what it feels like to be in love, Sora…"_ Roxas' tone dropped; he was thinking about Axel again. _"It hurts, but at the same time, it's like you could deal with it only to stay close to the one you love. You're falling in love with Riku, Sora…"_

Sora's gaze shifted to Riku, where he was still sleeping. Could he really be in love with his best friend? He wasn't just looking at any silver haired teens; that was his best friend. Maybe Roxas was wrong, and Sora was just being protective and worrisome about his friend. That had to be it; Sora falling in love with Riku was the most annoying thing that could happen right now. Wasn't Kairi enough drama?

He stopped, and then looked to the ceiling. "Roxas, I think you might be right."

He knew Roxas was right; he was in love with Riku.


End file.
